Screen capture of David Stephan's 24-minute statement on Facebook Live from Saskatoon, Sask. on Sunday, Feb. 11 2018. Stephan, who was convicted of failing to provide the necessaries of life in connection with the death of his 19-month-old son, who passed away from viral meningitis.

Two major sponsors pulled their support of a Canadian wellness expo Sunday, over the scheduling of a father convicted in the death of his son as a keynote speaker.

David Stephan, who was convicted of failing to provide the necessaries of life after his 19-month-old son, Ezekiel, died from bacterial meningitis, took to Facebook, blaming the backlash on misinformation spread by the media and Canada’s pharmaceutical industry.

Stephan, a holistic health specialist, had been hired by Health and Wellness Expos of Canada to speak during this year’s convention tour, taking place over the weekend in Saskatoon.

He was also on the roster to speak at next month’s Calgary Wellness Expo, but that engagement is now in jeopardy as his biography no longer appears on the organizer’s website.

Uproar over Stephan’s inclusion prompted two of the show’s major sponsors — Sobeys and Flaman Fitness — to pull their sponsorship from Health and Wellness Expos of Canada.

“Sobeys has withdrawn its sponsorship from Health and Wellness Expos of Canada and will not be associated with future events,” read a brief message on the company’s Twitter account Sunday.

Flaman Fitness chose a more direct approach, identifying Stephan by name as the reason for their withdrawal.

“We will not support an event which has David Stephan as keynote speaker and are withdrawing our sponsorship of this event and all future associated events,” read a statement posted to the company’s Facebook page.

Stephan and wife Collet were convicted in a Lethbridge court in 2016 for failing to provide the necessaries of life after the March 13, 2012, death of their son.

For weeks, the parents treated the boy’s symptoms with natural remedies, including hot peppers, garlic, ginger root, onions and horseradish — despite urging from a family friend who was a nurse that the tot appeared to be suffering from meningitis.

While Health and Wellness Expos of Canada owner Rick Thiessen didn’t respond to Postmedia’s requests for comment on both Saturday and Sunday, he told CTV News he advised Stephan it would be in the best interests of all involved if his future appearances at the show were cancelled.

“It’s not for me to judge, but I just told him that I cannot do, in all reality, I can’t support that kind of criticism,” Thiessen said.

Stephan, meanwhile, delivered a nearly 24-minute-long video address via Facebook Live from his Airbnb lodging in Saskatchewan, blaming the backlash on Facebook “pharma trolls,” as well as a concerted campaign of disinformation on behalf of journalists supported by Canada’s pharmaceutical industry.

“All of a sudden there was this major pressure, and they began to attack (sponsors) on their social media, like Sobeys,” Stephan said, referencing the alleged conspiracy against him.

He claims to have given more than 30 presentations over the previous 13 months, but alleges the media only chose to attack two of them — this weekend’s health expo in Saskatoon and one last year in Prince George, B.C.

Stephan implied the weekend’s backlash was related to ongoing retaliation after charges laid by Health Canada in 2004 against Truehope Nutritional Support Ltd. — a company founded by his father — for selling unapproved nutritional supplements were dropped.

“This is why there’s so much opposition to what Truehope is doing, and why I’m being used as a scapegoat,” he said.

Stephan spent most of the address speaking to his 2016 conviction, continuing to deny meningitis was the cause of Ezekiel’s death.

“There was no scientific evidence that he had bacterial meningitis, that was a contrived lie to hold me and my life liable for his passing, ” he said.

“My son died because of the continual mishaps of the medical system.”

Stephan, who didn’t respond to a request for comment from Postmedia, also spoke at the Calgary Health Show held last weekend at the BMO Centre.

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